Antioch Agent

I found that sometimes they come in pairs. Consider the following from Paul’s letters written to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

2 Timothy 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

2 Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
2 Timothy 3:9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all [men], as theirs also was.

Here were partners in crime. And it gives us a lesson to be learned if there is an association of two. Often times it takes one to encourage another to do things that they themselves may not have been bold enough to do alone. But it’s a different story when two of such people meet, and ‘click’. We’ve seen this happening time and time again where if one is on the edge of a weak conscience and happens to meet someone in the same disposition, that both can strike it off as a pair. Unfortunately, only for the worse. It’s the proverbial “birds of a feather flock together”.

That’s for the case where both are somewhat like each other. But we also see that in the case where both are initially not like each other. In relationships, it’s usually the weaker spiritually that brings down the stronger. If we are not careful, the less spiritual can influence the more spiritual believer and bring him or her down to the level and both be caught in the same mire. The bible declares: “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” 1 Corinthian 15:33. Therefore, we ought to be constantly, carefully evaluating and be very selective of who we align ourselves with.

We’re not sure how the pairings Paul brought up in his epistles to Timothy were formed. But whatever it was, it degenerated into something detestable in God’s eyes. It’s a tragedy. But we can purpose in ourselves that we do not want to receive such a commendation at the end of the day, and we still have time to make things aright.

Fortunately in the epistles to Timothy, there was a bright spark. It was refreshing to see Paul’s salutation to a pair who were truly commendable, Priscilla & Aquila (2 Tim 4:19)! Now, that’s what we call a partnership! They wonderfully depict the words in Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” Here we have a pairing who were fellow workers with the apostle Paul and had the sterling commendation that they were to him, “my helpers in Christ Jesus” (Rom 16:3).

In our friendships with people, our relationships, we ought to be careful of our alliances to see if it is pleasing to the Lord. Is it for the better or for the worse? And for those of us who have uttered ‘for better or worse’, we ought to take a good look at ourselves to see if our marriages are mutually encouraging in the things of the Lord and for effective service for Him. Also, may those of us who are searching for life partners (and this is for the youth reading this), may you desire to please the Lord in your decisions of choosing the suitable person who loves the Lord and where both can encourage each to give themselves more totally to Him. By God’s grace, we’ll make a good pairing.